Bottle carrier



May 16, 1961 c. c. DUNGFELDER EI'AL 2,984,334

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 16, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

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May 16, 1961 c. c. DUNGFELDER EI'AL BOTTLE CARRIER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Dec. 16, 1957 INVENTORS.

W 16 a/w BY 19m J%i, $141M ATTORNEYS.

May 16, 1961 c. c. DUNGFELDER EI'AL 2,984,334

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 16, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 'I'IIKIIIAIIIIII 7 IN VEN TORS m .2

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May 16, 1961 c. c. DUNGFELDER EI'AL 2,984,334

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 16, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEYS.

finite States Patent BOTTLE CARRIER Chris C. Dungfelder, Olivette, Mo.,and Chester A. Siver,

Ellison Bay, Wis, assignors to Barry-Wehmiller Machinery Co., St. Louis,Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Dec. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 703,032

9 Claims. (Cl. 198-131) This invention relates to a bottle conditioningline. and more particularly to bottle carriers of the type used inautomatic bottle washers, pasteurizers, etc.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application,Serial No. 301,424, filed July 29, 1952.

Bottle conditioning lines including automatic bottle washers andpasteurizers have extensive use in bottle filling plants, etc. Generallythese lines include a manual or mechanical infeed for inserting bottlesinto bottle carriers, each co'nsisting of a bank of individual bottlecarrier pockets aligned in side-by-side relation. The number of pocketsin a bank may be 8, 16, 24, etc., depending upon the size and capacityof the conditioning line. A plurality of bottle carriers are secured toa continuous carrier chain in spaced relation and the continuous chaincarries the bottle carriers and bottles therein through the variousstages of the conditioning line Where the bottles are bathed in hotcaustic solutions, rinsed in a cold solution, brushed internally andexternally, drained, etc., and finally discharged in condition forfilling.

Often bottles are not inspected prior to being fed into the bottlecarriers and if a bottle is cracked or otherwise damaged, it will nearlyalways break when subjected to the hot and cold bath and other lineoperations. A broken bottle in a carrier pocket causes the apparatus tobind or lock before it is shut off, and damage to the bottle carrierresults. Further, damage to carriers often results when a bottle is notproperly fed into a pocket or discharged therefrom, and binding orlocking of the apparatus occurs.

Locking or binding of the apparatus caused by a broken or improperlypositioned bottle frequently results in the bottle carriers beingtwisted or bent or otherwise distorted and misaligned. This is seriousand necessitates replacing of the damaged carrier, for if a carrier ismisaligned, the bottles carried thereby will not be properly positionedwith respect to the cleaning brushes and the internal brushes will notenter the bottles but will themselves become bent, etc., while theexternal brushes will improperly engage the bottles and becomedistorted. Moreover, bottles cannot be fed into and discharged properlyfro'm misaligned carriers, and malfunctioning of the apparatus isfrequently caused by such damaged carriers.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a bottle carrierthat will withstand the normal wear of conditioning line usage whilealso withstanding temporary distorting forces occurring when brokenbottles or bottles otherwise lodged in the bottle pockets cause bindingof the apparatus. Another object of the invention is to provide a bottlecarrier that will yield slightly when subjected to distorting forces andwill return to a normal position of proper alignment when the distortingforces are removed. Still another object is to provide a bottle carrierhaving resilient pockets aligned in side-by-side relation that willyield when subjected to distorting forces and will spring back to properposition when the forces are Patented May 16, 1961 removed, while at thesame time the pockets resist wedging of bottles therein so that they maydrop freely therefrom of their own weight at the discharge station.

Yet another object is to provide a bank of resilient and yieldablebottle pockets in a bottle carrier for use in automatic conditioninglines that will transfer a distorting force applied at one bottle pocketthroughout the entire bank of pockets so as to yield to the distortingforce along a side area while springing back to proper position uponremoval of the distorting force and at the same time are sufficientlyhard and rigid to resist wedging of bottles therein during normaloperation. Yet another object is to provide a bottle carrier having arelatively rigid carrier support equipped with a bank of yieldable andresilient bottle-receiving pockets secured thereto in side-bysiderelation that will be temporarily deformed slightly when a bottle islodged Within the pocket and that will return to proper alignment whenthe lodged bottle is removed, while at the same time sufficient rigidityis maintained to cause slippage of a clutching mechanism automaticallyshutting down the apparatus when binding occurs. Still another object isthat of providing relatively stiff bottle carrier pockets that preventwedging of bottles therein during normal operation, while at the sametime the pockets are yieldable and give slightly when subjected toabnormal or distorting forces and that spring back into shape when theforces are removed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide bottle-receivingpockets having means therein to facilitate draining of liquid fromwithin each pocket and about a bottle therein during draining and dryingoperations. Still a further object is to provide in a bottle carrier abank of bottle-receiving pockets each having a restricted throat portionadapted to receive the neck of bottles and also having a plurality ofspaced channels or recesses extending from an enlarged receiving end ofthe pocket to the restricted throat portion to facilitate drainage ofliquid from the pocket. Yet a further object is to provide in a bottleconditioning line a plurality of spaced bottle carriers secured to acontinuous or endless carrier chain and in which the bottle carriersinclude a relatively rigid carrier support securing a bank of yieldableand resilient bottle-receiving pockets in proper alignment and in whichthe bottle-receiving pockets are adapted to receive bottles of varioussize to properly center them, while also being secured to the carriersupport in a manner permitting quick and easy replacement of the pocketsin the event they are damaged, etc. An additional object is to providecarrier pockets having internal longitudinally-extending ribbing thereinproviding a positive centering of bottles received within the pocketsand to minimize bottle wobbling, etc. Further objects and advantages ofthe invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a broken side view of a conditioning line in which a portionof the side wall is broken away to show bottle carriers mounted upon acarrier chain; Fig. 2 is a broken front view in elevation showing thebottle carriers mounted upon a carrier chain; Fig. 3 is a side view inelevation of a bank of carrier pockets and in which one of the pocketsis shown in section; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig.3; Fig. 5 is a broken perspective view of a carrier support; Fig. 6 is aperspective view of a modified form of bottle carrier; Fig. 7 is abroken top plan view of the carrier of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a broken sideview in elevation of the carrier of Fig. 6 and in which a portion of thecarrier support is broken away to show a bottle pocket in partialsection; Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 99 of Fig. 8;Fig. 10 is a top view, partially broken away to show a modified form ofcarrier pockets; Fig. 11 is a broken front view of the structure shownin Fig. 10, and Fig. 12 is a broken side view of the structure shown inFig. 10.

Referring to Fig. 1, a bottle conditioning line, which may be anautomatic bottle washer, is designated by A. The bottle washer A isequipped with an infeed B from which bottles are fed into the bottleline C. The bottle line C includes a continuous carrier 10 supportedupon a plurality of sprockets 11. Mounted upon the carrier chain 10 inspaced relation are a plurality of bottle carriers 12. Bottles 13 arepositioned in the bottle carriers 12 and are held within the carriersduring certain move ments through the line by shields or guards 14.

At least one of the sprockets 11 is driven by a suitable power sourceand moves the carrier chain 10 and the bottle carriers 12 secured thertothrough various treating stations of the washer line. The stations mayinclude caustic baths, rinses, brushing operations, etc., and thebottles are finally discharged from the pockets at the opposite end ofthe line. Conditioning lines of this character are well known in the artand it is believed that a detailed discussion of the lines will not,therefore, be necessary.

The carrier chain 10 consists of a plurality of elongated links 15secured at either end to a similar link by a pin or cap screw 16. Thelinks 15 are pivotally mounted upon pins 16. The links 15 are joined inpairs to the pins 16 and are spaced apart by rollers 17. The rollers 17are rotatably mounted upon the pins 16. The spacings between the rollers17 provide access for the teeth of the sprockets.

Each of the inner links 15 is provided with an aperture or opening 18receiving a pin or bolt 19 that secures the bottle carriers 12 to thecarrier chain 10. For this purpose, the bottle carriers 12 are equippedat each end with a generally U-shaped connector 20 provided centrallywith an aperture 21 for receiving the bolt or pin 19. Generally twocarrier chains 10 are provided, one at either side of the conditioninglines, and the bottle carriers 12 are secured at each end to the carrierchains and extend between the chains in substantially parallel,spaced-apart relation.

The bottle carriers illustrated in Figs. 2 through consist of a carriersupport or frame 22 having side walls 23 of a relatively rigid materialsuch as metal, etc., secured at each end to the connectors 20 by anysuitable means such as spot welding, etc. Each of the side walls 23 isequipped with an inwardly-extending stud 24 at equally-spaced positionaxially along the side wall. The studs 24 are rigidly fastened to theside walls 23 and are adapted to receive and support between the sidewalls the bottle-receiving pockets 25 in a manner subsequentlydescribed.

The bottle-receiving pockets 25 are preferably both yieldable andresilient and may be made from any suitable material having theseproperties, such as molded rubber. The material used must be able towithstand submersion in hot caustic solutions followed by immediatesubmersion in cold solutions. A typical solution encountered in practiceis a 5% caustic soda solution maintained at a temperature in the rangel70l75 F. The material used must be able to withstand immersion inbottle-washing solutions without deterioration or deformation. If moldedrubber is used, the rubber must be properly cured so as to withstandsuch usage without cracking, etc. Though it is preferred that thepockets be yieldable and resilient, it is important that they besufiiciently stiff, rigid, or hard, particularly at the neck portion, toprevent wedging of the bottles within the pockets during normaloperation. The bottles must be free to drop from the pockets of theirown Weight at the discharge station.

The bottle-receiving pockets 25 may be formed singly or in banks andpreferably the pockets are formed in banks of four. Bottle conditioninglines are usually set up to handle four, eight, sixteen, etc., or somemultiple of four, bottles in a bank, and by forming the bottle pocketsin banks of four, they may readily be employed initially or as areplacement in most bottle lines. When the pockets 25 are formed singly,they are arranged in side-by-side, inter-connected relation to provideadditional resilience in the bank of pockets through deformation inadjacent pockets.

Each of the bottle-receiving pockets 25 consists of a generallyrectangular casing providing a compartment that tapers inwardly at oneend to provide a restricted neck or throat portion 26. One of the sidewalls is enlongated and has an outwardly-extending lip 27, While theopposite side wall terminates short of the lip extension 27. Theremaining pair of side walls has an arcuate upper portion 28 that mergeswith the lip portion 27 and with the side wall opposite thereto. Theside wall having lip 27 and the side wall opposite thereto are equippedwith laterally-extending shoulders 29 providing between the shoulders arecess or channel 35. The channels 30 are adapted to receive the sidewalls 23 of the carrier support 22 and together with the shoulders 29lock the pocket 25 in position upon the carrier support. The pockets 25are formed or molded in a bank of four and each of the adjacent pocketshas a common side wall that is provided with a passage 31 extendingtransversely therethrough and, if desired, may be enlarged centrally asat 32. The passage 31 is adapted to receive the inwardly-extending pinsor studs 24* so as to secure the pockets upon the carrier support 22.Alternatively, the studs 24 can be provided as integral projections orteats on the pockets 25 and then heat riveted to the perimetric frame22.

The common side wall existing between adjacent pockets '25 terminatesshort of the forward or throated end of the pockets. The parting line orpoint at which the common wall terminates is below the critical point ofbottle support.

Interiorly, the lower portion of the pocket is arcuate and tapersinwardly and merges into the neck portion 26. The periphery of the neck26 is generally squareshaped, as seen in Fig. 2. The interior of thepockets is also provided with grooves or channels 33 extending from theupper enlarged portion of the pocket downwardly until they merge withthe corners of the neck or throat 26, as seen in Fig. 2. The channels 33provide a free passage for the draining of solutions, etc., from theinterior of the pockets and about the bottles. The provision of thesepassages or channels 33 permits solutions to drain from the pockets andthe bottles very rapidly, and dilution or contamination of one of thetreating compartments with a solution from the previous one is therebylessened and draining and drying of the bottles is greatly facilitated.The throat 26 is arcuate and tapers outwardly, as indicated by thenumeral 34, so that bottles pushed into the pockets or drawn outwardlytherefrom do not hang on the throat portion.

A modification of the bottle carrier is illustrated in Figs. 6 through9. In the modification, the bottle carrier 35 includes a carrier support36 having side walls 37 and 38 and end walls 39. The side wall 37 isequipped along one edge with a generally U-shaped lip 40, while the sidewall 38 is equipped at the corresponding edge with an elongated U-shapedlip 41 that is somewhat wider than the lip 40. The side Walls 37 and 38are rigidly secured to the end walls 39 in any suitable manner such asby welding, etc. Each of the end walls 39 is generally U-shaped and isbowed outwardly throughout the central portion. A fastening bar 42 issecured to the end walls 39 at the outwardly-bowed portion by suitablemeans such as rivets, bolts, welding, etc. The fastening bar 42 haslaterally-extending edges 43 forming a channel and a protruding orextending end portion equipped with an aperture 44. The channel providedby the laterally-extending edges 43 is adapted to receive a link 15 ofthe carrier chain so as to lock the carrier support upon the chain andthe aperture 44 receives the pin or bolt 16 of the carrier chain. Thebolt or cap screw 19 may be received through the aperture 45 to furtherlock the fastening bar and carrier support to the carrier chain.

A bank of carrier pockets 46, preferably formed in a section of four andaligned in side-by-side relation, may be formed of molded rubber aspreviously described. Each of the pockets 46 is generally square inshape and the side walls provide an interior compartment that is arcuateadjacent the lower end and merges into a restricted throat or neckportion 47. Adjacent pockets 46 have a common side wall that terminatesshort of the lower ends thereof, forming distinct pockets at thethroated end.

As seen in Fig. 7, the throat 47 is circular and is divided into arcuatesections 48 by four grooves or channels 49 that provide a drain for thepockets, as described with reference to the pockets 25 illustrated inFigs. 2 through 5. The throat 47 is itself arcuate and is turnedoutwardly at 50. The pockets are equipped with internal ribs 51extending longitudinally within the pockets and for practically the fulldepth thereof. The ribs 51 are spaced about the pockets 46 and provide apositive centering for bottles received therein and also minimizewobbling of the bottles, etc.

The side walls 37 and 38 of the carrier support are equipped with pairsof apertures 52 spaced axially along the side walls. The pockets 46 areprovided with apertures 53 aligned with the apertures 52. The pockets 46may be secured in position upon the carrier support 36 by rivets orshort studs, etc., that extend through the apertures 52 and 53. Thus,the bottle-receiving pockets are firmly locked in place upon the carriersupport with the upper edge of the pockets positioned just below the lipportions 40 and 41.

Another modification of the bottle carrier is illustrated in Figs. 10l2.In this modification, the bottle carrier 54 includes a rectangular frame55 having side walls 56 and 57 and end walls 58. The side and end wallsare interconnected to form a rectangular frame by means of rivets 59. Afastening lug 60, provided as a part of end walls 58, is provided withan aperture 61 for mounting on a carrier chain, or the like. A bank ofindividually formed carrier pockets 6'2 is mounted within carriersupport 55. Each pocket 62 is secured both to support 55 and to itsadjacent abutting pocket 9 by rivets or other fastening means 63. Therivets 63 securing pocket 62 to the side walls 56 and 57 extend throughsuitable apertures 64 provided in the side walls 56 and 57. Similarapertures 65 are provided in pockets 62 to unite adjoining pockets intoan interconnected bank. Thus, flexure of one pocket is resisted by theresilience in adjacent pockets, since the adjacent pockets would also besomewhat deformed.

The bottle-receiving pockets 25, 46 or 62, and the carrier supports 22,36, or 55, may be fabricated separately of each other. The bottlereceiving pockets are formed of a yieldable resilient material that maybe properly cured, rubber molded into a section or individual pockets.If desired, the channels 30 and other parts may be machined. It isimportant that the pockets, though resilient and yieldable, besufficiently hard or stiff so as to prevent wedging of the botles withinthe pockets, or gripping of the bottles by the pockets during normaloperation. It is desired that the bottles drop free of the pockets bytheir own weight at the discharge of the conditioning line, and wedgingwould prevent this advantage. At the same time, then, the pockets areyieldable when subjected to distorting forces, but do not yield to thebottles during norwhen equipped with concentric rings about theshoulders thereof.

The carrier supports are constructed of a relatively rigid material suchas a metal and may be, for example, stainless steel. In themodifications illustrated in Figs. 612, the pockets are secured inposition upon the carrier support by riveting, etc., the rivetsextending through aligned apertures in the carrier side wall and in theside walls of the pockets. If the carrier supports and pockets shown inFigs. 2-5 are employed, the side walls 23 of the carrier support arepositioned in the recesses 30 providcd by the laterally-extendingshoulders 29 and are locked in position by the shoulders 29. Studs orpins 24 extend into the passages 31 to further secure the pocket 25 inplace upon the carrier support 22.

When adjacent the bottle infeed and in position to receive bottles, theextended side wall of the pocket or carrier support is positioned on theunder side of the bottle carrier so that either the lip 27 or the lip 41extends outwardly and forms a lower edge for the bottle carrier overwhich a bottle being inserted into position within the pocket may slideand be guided thereby. The interior of the pockets is such that eachpocket is adapted to receive bottles of various sizes and readilyaccommodate quarts, pints and splits. Bottles are properly alignedwithin the pockets by the lower arcuate portions of the pockets and therestricted throat portion 26 or 47, and also by the ribs 51, in thepockets illustrated in Figs. 69, which also prevent bottle wobbling.Accurate alignment permits the external and internal cleaning brushes toproperly engage the bottles to perform the cleaning operation withoutdamage to the brushes that would result from improper alignment of thebottles. After the bottles have been carried through the variouscleaning or conditioning stages of the line, the bottles may beautomatically discharged from the pockets by suitable and known means atthe terminal end of the line. During the removal operation the carrierpockets are inverted and the elongated lip portion 27 or 41 is at theupper edge of the carrier. It is preferred that the bottles drop freefrom the pockets by their own weight and the pockets should not, then,grip the bottles, but, rather, support them freely therein.

If a cracked bottle is inadvertently fed into the conditioning line, thebottle will frequently be broken when subjected alternately to thevastly difierent temperature ranges of the various solutions. When thisoccurs, the broken bottle lodges within the carrier pocket, since thedischarge means cannot remove a badly damaged or shattered bottle from apocket. The damaged bottle thus lodged within the carrier pocket willcause the apparatus to lock or bind at the discharge end of theconditioning line, or if the bottle carrier moves beyond this point, itwill then lock at the infeed end when another bottle is prevented frombeing completely inserted into a pocket by the broken or damaged bottlealready therein. Although most conditioning apparatus is equipped with aclutch and trigger switch that causes the apparatus to shut down when abinding or locking occurs, the line must move some small distance beforethe shutdown can be completed. Therefore, with :a bottle carrier lockedin any position while at the same time the carrier chain at-' tempts tomove the carrier beyond this position, the normal result will be abending or twisting or otherwise distorting of the carrier.

However, here the pockets 25, 46 or 62 are both yieldable and resilient,and while they reinforce the carrier supports 22, 36, or 55 throughouttheir entire length and distribute the distoring force throughout a widearea, the pocket itself yields slightly, and this yielding is sufiicientto prevent damage to the carrier during the time required to shut themachine down. When the broken bottle is removed and the distorting forcethereby withdrawn, the resiliency of the pocket causes it to spring backinto its mal operation and bottles do not wedge therein, even properposition. Therefore, no damage is caused to the 7 bottle carriers and itis not necessary to replace the carrier before the conditioning line canagain be used. This results in a great savings in time, material andexpense.

While our carrier pockets are able to withstand temporary distortingforces without damage and at the same time stand up under the normalwear of conditioning line usage, the carriers may be also cheaplyfabricated and easily installed in a conditioning line. Since thecarrier and carrier support is protected from damage by the yieldableand resilient character of the bottle-receiving pockets 25, 46 and 62,the pockets themselves are the only parts subjected to great wear, andour unique arrangement for securing the pockets in sections to thecarrier supports permits ready removal of a damaged pocket or sectionand replacement with a new one. Moreover, since the pockets are bothyieldable and resilient, the bottles are not scuffed and marred andotherwise damaged in our pockets as they normally are in the usualbottle carriers. Thus, an important ancillary advantage is achieved.

While in the foregoing specification we have described embodiments ofour invention in considerable detail for the purpose of illustration, itis to be understood that these details may be varied widely by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In carrier apparatus adapted for use in bottle conditioning lines, arelatively narrow, rigid carrier frame having side walls and end wallsdefining an elongated space therein, a carrier bank comprising aplurality of side by side carrier pockets, said pockets beinginterconnected with each other to define a unitary bank and being formedof a resilient yieldable material having sufficient resistive strengthto maintain the characteristics of the carrier pockets during normaluse, said pockets thereby being adapted to cooperate in resisting adistorting force applied to a given pocket by translating the forcethrough adjacent pockets to dissipate the force throughout a large area,said bank being positioned within said frame and being secured to theside walls thereof at spaced-apart points therealong, each of saidpockets having an enlarged mouth and a restricted throat for receiving abottle therein, and each pocket having a substantial portion thereof andtoward its throat extending beyond the limits of said frame.

2. In carrier apparatus adapted for use in bottle conditioning lines, arelatively narrow, rigid carrier frame having side walls and end wallsdefining an elongated space therein, a carrier bank comprising aplurality of side by side carrier pockets, said pockets being formedintegrally with each other to define a unitary bank and being formed ofa resilient yieldable material having sufiicient resistive strength tomaintain the characteristics of the carrier pockets during normal use,said bank being positioned within said frame and being secured to theside walls thereof at spaced-apart points therealong, each of saidpockets having an enlarged mouth and a restricted throat for receiving abottle therein, and each pocket having a substantial portion thereof andtoward its throat extending beyond the limits of said frame.

3. In a bottle carrier structure adapted for use in bottle conditioninglines, a relatively narrow, rigid perimetric frame having spaced sidewalls and end walls, a plurality of side by side bottle carrier pocketsformed integrally with each other to define a unitary bank, the bank ofbottle carrier pockets being received within said frame, each of saidpockets having an enlarged mouth and a restricted neck for receiving abottle therein and being formed of a resilient yieldable materialresistive to deformation during normal use thereof, and pin means.

extending through the walls of said frame and into the bank of pocketsat spaced-apart points therealong for securing the bank within saidframe, each of said pockets toward the portion thereof providing theneck extending a substantial distance beyond the limits of said frame.

4. The structure of claim 3, in which said bank is provided along eachside thereof with a longitudinallyextending channel dimensioned toreceive and receiving the respective side walls of said frame therein,whereby each of said channels cooperates with said pin means in securingthe bank of pockets within said frame.

5. In a structure of the character described, a substantially rigid,relatively narrow perimetric frame having side walls and end wallsdefining an elongated space therein, a bank of carrier pockets receivedwithin said space, said pockets being arranged in side by side relationand being formed integrally with each other to provide said bank, saidbank being molded rubber and each of said pockets being adapted toreceive a bottle therein and having a substantial portion thereofextending beyond the dimensional limits of said frame, and a pluralityof pins extending through the side walls of said frame and through saidbank at spaced-apart points therealong to secure the bank within saidframe.

6. The structure of claim 5, in which each of said pockets is providedwith spaced-apart shoulders along the sides thereof adjacent the sidewalls of said frame to define channels extending longitudinally alongthe bank for receiving the side walls of said frame therein.

7. The structure of claim 5, in which said bank is molded of a resilientyieldable plastic material capable of withstanding submersion in 5%caustic soda solution maintained at a temperature of l75 F. withoutdeterioration or deformation of said material.

8. The structure of claim 5, in which said bank is molded of a resilientyieldable material capable of immersion in bottle washing solutionswithout deterioration or deformation.

9. In carrier apparatus adapted for use in bottle conditioning lines, arelatively narrow, rigid carrier frame having side walls and end wallsdefining an elongated space therein, a carrier bank comprising aplurality of side by side carrier pockets, said pockets being joinedwith each other on adjacent sides to define a unitary bank and beingformed of a resilient yieldable material having sufiicient resistivestrength to maintain the characteristics of the carrier pockets duringnormal use, said pockets thereby being adapted to cooperate in resistinga distorting force applied to a given pocket by translating the forcethrough adjacent pockets to dissipate the force throughout a large area,said bank being positioned within said frame and being secured to theside walls thereof at spaced-apart points therealong, each of saidpockets having an enlarged mouth and a restricted throat for receiving abottle therein, and each pocket having a substantial portion thereof andtoward its throat extending beyond the limits of said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,756,554 Hippenmeyer Apr. 29, 1930 2,051,091 Ladewig Aug. 18, 19362,094,398 Dostal Sept. 28, 1937 2,105,795 Risser Jan. 18, 1938 2,444,925Fischer July 13, 1948 2,522,912 Weiss Sept. 19, 1950 2,823,789 HenningFeb. 18, 1958

